When the Arizona Laxcats hired Derek Pedrick last Summer, there
were many question marks surrounding the future of the team. Would
Pedrick be able to take Arizona out of the Top 25, where it feels
like they've stayed stagnant for several years, and into the Top
10? Would the Laxcats finally step out of the shadows of rival
Arizona State? Would Arizona get a win over the Sun Devils in 2014,
a feat that hasn't happened since 2007?

As we sit nearly midway through the season, many of those
questions still remain, but the Laxcats are 5-1, currently ranked
No. 20 and on a five game winning streak. The lone loss came in the
first game of the season to a pesky San Diego squad who have caused
problems for several teams this season. Big wins over Washington
State, Oregon State, USC, Concordia and New Hampshire have the
Laxcats running on all cylinders.

"Our kids are learning a new system and a new way to approach
the game," said Pedrick. "Each game we've gotten better."

The Laxcats will take to the road this weekend in a tough
three-game swing with No. 16 Westminster, No. 4 BYU and Utah.

"We certainly understand that the meat of our schedule is coming
up," said Pedrick. "We are going to get tested real quick. Our boys
are excited though to prove they can compete with the best and we
certainly have that opportunity this weekend."

When Arizona returns home, they'll host No. 10 Simon Fraser, No.
9 Sonoma State and Washington for a total of six games in 10
days.

"It's going to be good," said Pedrick. "We're going to see what
we're made of."

Looking Back

The talk of the MCLA last weekend was the top two teams in D-I,
No. 1 Colorado and No. 2 Colorado State both losing on the same
night at the same time. Colorado fell to Michigan State and
Colorado State lost to RMLC rival BYU, snapping the Rams 33-game
winning streak. The Cougars were the last team to beat CSU, an 8-6
affair on April 7, 2012.

In D-II, the annual Sailfish Shootout saw 10 D-II teams convene
in Florida for a two-week long event of great lacrosse. The
highlights of the event was a 10-7 win for No. 3 Grove City over
No. 5 Elon, No. 14 Palm Beach Atlantic getting an 18-17 overtime
win over No. 6 U.S. Coast Guard and Grove City taking down Palm
Beach Atlantic, 15-12.

Coaching Gamut

A story from twincities.com highlights Hank Marotske, the current St. Olaf
Head Coach, and his past history in the foster care system as a
child. He credits his success to the fact that he was able to go to
college despite having the odds stacked against him. Marotske is
now working to make college more affordable and accessible for
foster children.

Looking Ahead

Despite losses last weekend, No. 2 Colorado State and No. 3
Colorado will be anxious to host Arizona State in search of wins to
get back to their top spots while the Sun Devils defend their new
No. 1 spot.

No. 15 Kennesaw State, No. 7 Dayton and No. 10 Indiana Tech will
swap games this weekend. The Owls and Flyers come into the event
with a 5-0 record while the Warriors are 1-1.